China hits out at ‘threats and coercion’ over Donald Trump’s 104% tariffs
The Chinese government has accused President Donald Trump of “threats and coercion” after he slapped the country with crippling tariffs. Beijing has drafted an in-depth report on the current tit-for-tat trade war that it is currently embroiled in with Washington.
In the white paper, the government claimed that the US has violated obligations of trade deals and that Trump is using tariffs as “threats and coercion”. The paper, which was shared on Chinese social media channel Weibo, seeks to address the supposed reasons that Trump has for hitting them with the record-high tariffs.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States 46 years ago, bilateral economic and trade relations have continued to develop. The trade volume between China and the United States has jumped from less than US$2.5 billion in 1979 to nearly US$688.3 billion in 2024,” it reads.
Without naming Trump directly, the paper blames “unilateralism and protectionism” which has “seriously interfered with the normal economic and trade cooperation” between the two nations.
Following a breakdown in trade agreements in 2018, the US imposed high tariffs on more than $500bn of Chinese goods exported to the states, the paper reads. It lashed out, saying the US has “continued to introduce policies to contain and suppress China”.
It said that China must “take strong countermeasures to resolutely defend its national interests”, but added a disclaimer that it would rather resolve the dispute “through dialogue and consultation”.
Speaking about the Liberation Day tariffs, the white paper added: “These restrictive measures, which use tariffs as threats and coercion, are a mistake on top of a mistake, and once again expose the typical unilateralism and bullying nature of the United States.
“They not only violate the laws of the market economy, but also run counter to multilateralism, and will have a serious impact on China-US economic and trade relations. China has taken necessary countermeasures in accordance with the basic principles of international law and laws and regulations.”
It called for both countries to “respect each other’s core interests and major concerns” and to find a solution through dialogue.
“There are no winners in a trade war, and there is no way out for protectionism. The success of China and the United States is an opportunity rather than a threat to each other.
“It is hoped that the United States and China will meet each other halfway, follow the direction indicated by the call between the two heads of state, and in the spirit of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, resolve their respective concerns through equal dialogue and consultation, and jointly promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-US economic and trade relations,” the paper reads.
This morning, Trump claimed China “very badly” wants a deal in a post on his Truth Social account about South Korea. The president claimed: “I just had a great call with the Acting President of South Korea.
“We talked about their tremendous and unsustainable surplus, tariffs, shipbuilding, large scale purchase of US LNG, their joint venture in an Alaska Pipeline, and payment for the big time military protection we provide to South Korea. They began these military payments during my first term, Billions of Dollars, but Sleepy Joe Biden, for reasons unknown, terminated the deal.
““China also wants to make a deal, badly, but they don’t know how to get it started. We are waiting for their call. It will happen! GOD BLESS THE USA.”
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